Dress protector



Patented Nov. 5, i929 ADELE L. DEMING, F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY nnnss PROTECTOR Application filed January 25, 1927. Serial No. 163,336.

This invention relates to an article of attire in the form of a temporary protector or slipcover or slip-on for the dress of a girl up to the age of about five years.

The main object of the invention is to render it unnecessary to remove the dress in order to save it from becoming soiled, torn, or wrinkled while the child is playing upon the floor or ground, or romping.

It is desired to produce a simple, inexpensive, durable, attractive and easily laundered and easily donned dress-protector. The clevice is loosely fitting and includes a dresspouch, and also front and back yoke-pieces from which the pouch hangs. Each of the yoke-pieces may be provided on both sides of the neck with shoulder-ribbons, and front ribbons may be tied over the shoulder to back ribbons, to hold the protector in place. A single-size protector can be supplied for use upon girls of different heights.

The dress-protector is in the form of a neck or yokeportion from which depends a waist portion combined with or merging into a trunk portion, expanding below the waist and forming a pouch or bag of ample dimensions to hold lightly the lower portion of the childs dress-skirt, which is usually gathered I or otherwise rendered very full. The protector below the yoke is so amply pouched that it will loosely hold a Very full skirt, so that the same is not objectionably cramped or wrinkled, but after removal of the protector, even when long in use, appears as fresh as before the protector was put on.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 represents the unfolded main strip of cloth used in making the body of the protector, with leg-notches in its side edges midway from top to bottom; At this figure are also shown front and back yoke or neckpieces in unfolded condition.

Figure 2 shows the upper part or waist por tion of the baggy protector as gathered or shirred and attached to the folded neck-pieces or yokes, the latter having the shoulder-ribbons for suspending the protector.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the protector the latter is gathered at its top and bottom worn by a girl, the substantially straight dotand-dash outline representing the dress as worn without the protector, and the curved dotted-line form indicating the inturned or furled condition of the edges of the dress tucked within the pouch, which serves asa net or bag for the dress.

Figure 4 is a front View of the protector as worn. j v p l s Figure 5 shows the protector separately.

In makingthe protector, a single wide strip 10 of cloth may be employed. The ends of the strip may be regarded as the waist portions 11. About midway of its length a broad V 12 is cut in each of the opposite edges of the strip. The cloth is then folded across, the fold 13 extending from the point of one Vto the point of the other. The sides 14 of each V are now superposed. The cloth layers are now sewn together or. joined'atthe outer ends of the Vs at 15, Figure 5, thus forming permanent leg-opening 16 in the sides of the garment, which has no attached breeches. At said fold line13, the uncut width of the cloth between the approaching points of the VS is very great, this amplitude permitting the garment to extend down the thighs of the child, and allowing for freedom of movement of the legs.

The width of the originalstrip of cloth 10 is greatlyin excess of the body of the child, and forms a bag 17, Figure 5, to hold the dress and preserve its pristine condition. When the protector is donned, the lower portion of the dress may beloosely furled within'the bag 8 as at 18, but there is only a very slight and .unobjectionable tucking in or inward bendingof the bottom edges of the dress skirt and petticoats. u

I The neck or yoke pieces 19, although full width, are very narrow from side to side as compared with the original width of said original cloth strip; but the waist portion of as a 20 until it is equal to the width of the yoke-pieces, to which the ends of the gathered strip are attached at 21; and smockingor other ornamental stitching 22 can be used at the gathers. By the gathering at 20, the top ofthe bag is narrowed to match the width.

same protector; the top edges 23 of the yokeof the yoke-piece, the bottom of the bag remaining full, to pouch the dress.

The protector as so far described includes the two yoke-pieces, each folded along line 23, the gathers 20 at the ends or tops 'of the cloth-strip or body portion 10 of the protector, and the leg-holes 16 provided by the V-cuts 12 at the folded bottom of the protector, secured together at their outer ends.

The gathering 20 is .a valuable feature of the pouching 17 of the garment, because the dress-accommodating capacity of the protector is augmented at the front and back, as well as at the sides.

The sides 24; of the protector may remain open, consisting of the edges of the original cloth strip; and the arms of the child may extend through these openings, Figures 3, f.

i To the top of ea yoke-pi ce ar fastened ribbons 25, one at each side of the neck, making four'ribbons; and these may be tied over the shoulders into bow-knots 26., thus constituting the support of the protector. The ribbons ,afiord opportunity for adjustment, so that children of different heights can use the ieces meeting at the sides over the shoulders of a m ll child, tsa d dges h g s di t n e be ew th sh ul e o a l rg child,

sew ng.

shown.

and the ribbons going up from the yokes and being knotted over the ehilds shoulders.

In use, "it is only necessary to insert the feet of the' ehild through the holes 16 in the protector and then knot the ribbons 25 over the should rs, so that the protector is very ,quickly put on and removed.

The gathering 20 of the top ends or waist portion-of the original cloth strip isalso valuable for overcoming the liability of the dressrotector to become torn in use. The .sewing of the outer ends of the "V-cuts together ,at 15 avoids the necessity of the em loyment of buttons, which in some cases woul be liable .to be torn off and become lost; although the invention not limited to a protector the outer ends of whose leg-holes are secured by The garment is preferablyreversib'le, since either yoke-piece can :be worn at the front; and it is therefore equal in service to two ina fores,while being more efficient,since it ee s clean the bottom edges of the dress. e edges of the garment may be hemmed as The dress if desired may be smoothed 7, straight front and back, and allowed to otrude at the sidesbetween the lower side edges 24 of the protector, thus keeping the dress uni' llflled. t

Variations may be resorted to within the SCOPBQOf the invention, and, ortions of the 'imiyirovementsma be used without others.

aving thus 'escr'ibed my invention, I

claim A girls dress protector-comprising front and rear portions cut from a single sheet of material with side out out leg openings the, 

